Guards

Watchful Sentries and Keepers of the Peace

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Guards protect people, places, and posessions. Sometimes for coin, sometimes out of duty, and sometimes because it’s the only job in town. They're not elite warriors, but they are trained to be observant and to act quickly when trouble starts.

Guards serve in many positions, including lookouts, bouncers, caravan escorts, or the city watch. What they lack in elite training, they often make up for in numbers and authority. In corrupt cities, a badge is just a license to shake people down. In just ones, guards are the thread that holds society together.

Whether manning a city gate or shadowing a suspicious group of mercenaries, guards are omnipresent in the lives of adventurers, and often the first line of defense when plans go sideways.

Guard Lore

• Guards are watchful, lightly trained NPCs tasked with protection, observation, or enforcement
• They serve in city watches, merchant caravans, noble estates, temples, and guild halls
• Most are underpaid and undertrained, but dangerous in numbers or when led by a veteran
• Not all guards are honest: some enforce justice, others serve whoever bribes the most
• Guard captains are seasoned veterans with strong tactical instincts

Guard Tactics

Guards are quintessential 5E Defenders. They may not win in an even fight, but they're trained to apprehend and summon reinforcements whenever trouble breaks out.

• Guards shine when they get the drop on intruders, call for reinforcements, trigger magical alarms, or seal exits
• They use powers like Call Reinforcements and Sound the Alarm to overwhelm foes with sheer numbers
• Guards are trained as militia and have defensive abilities like Defensive Formation and Protect the Target
• Veteran captains employ flanking, choke points, and command abilities like Command the Troops
• Guards are especially dangerous when defending familiar territory, where they know the layout and fallback options

Guard Statblocks

5E Statblocks for Watchmen, Wardens, and Urban NPCs

These guard-themed NPCs are designed for 5E adventures inlcuding urban conflict, merchant escorts, and castle infiltrations. Whether you're running a stealthy heist, a political intrigue, or a tense city standoff, these statblocks give you scalable guard NPCs with flavorful powers.

Examples include:

• City watch NPCs who patrol streets and marketplaces
• Caravan guards and escort NPCs for wilderness or trade missions
• Palace guards for nobles, mages, or visiting dignitaries
• Watch captains and commanders for higher-tier urban conflicts

Guard

Guards are alert, lightly trained fighters tasked with protecting important people or locations.

Sergeant of the Watch

A Sergeant of the Watch leads small patrols and handles the daily headaches of urban enforcement. They've experience their fair share of adventurer shenanigans and know how to handle trouble.

Guard Captain

Guard Captains are veteran enforcers and field commanders. They know how to rally squads, control crowds, and bring down bigger threats with teamwork and tactics.

Lord of the Watch

A Lord of the Watch is a legendary city commander, wielding authority, discipline, and experience in equal measure. Whether noble or tyrant, they shape the tone of their city's justice.

Guard Encounter Ideas

These urban and stronghold-themed guard encounters help bring your cities and patrols to life. Use them to complicate heists, challenge stealth missions, or create morally gray NPCs with authority and agendas.

• A group of Guards stops the PCs at a city gate and asks increasingly invasive questions. Someone has put out a description matching one of the adventurers
• A Sergeant of the Watch catches the party in a restricted district at night. The PCs must talk their way out, or risk being dragged to the local jail
• A patrol of Guards breaks up a street fight the party got caught up in, but one of the guards puts the blame solely on the PCs
• As the PCs walk down the street, a citizen points and yells "There they are, those are the murderers!" to a nearby Sergeant of the Watch and her patrol of Guards

Guard Adventure Ideas

These longer narrative hooks offer storylines with intrigue, corruption, and civic drama that are ideal for 5E campaigns rooted in urban or political conflict.

• The PCs discover that a squad of Guards has been bribed to look the other way while a noble house smuggles goods in and out of the city walls
• A Guard Captain hires the party to investigate a series of arson attacks, only to reveal that she suspects members of her own watch are involved
• A Sergeant of the Watch turns to the party for help after discovering that their commanding officer has made a secret pact with a Cult Grand Master
• The PCs are framed for a noble's murder by Doppelgangers and are pursued through the city by the vengeful Lord of the Watch. To clear their names, they must unearth the conspiracy behind the false accusation

FAQ: Guards in 5E

What’s the CR range for Guard monsters?
Foe Foundry guards range from CR 1/8 Guards to the CR 8 Lords of the Watch. The typical city watch patrol is CR 1–3, making them ideal for early-level urban play.

How are Guards different from Warriors or Soldiers?
Guards are sentries and enforcers. They’re built for reaction, defense, and containment. Guards sound the alarm instead of leading a charge. Warriors, by contrast, are proactive soldiers trained for frontline battle.

What’s the basic 5E guard statblock?
The standard Guard has AC 16 (chain shirt + shield), HP 11 (2d8+2), a +3 spear attack, and a passive Perception of 12. They typically act as low-threat sentries, patrolmen, or bouncers.

Are there elite or high-level guard variants?
Yes. Foe Foundry includes upgraded guards like the CR 2 Guard Captain and CR 8 Lord of the Watch. These variants have more HP, multiattack, better gear, and tactical powers to coordinate squads.

Are Guards good for stealth encounters?
Absolutely. Guards shine as antagonists in infiltration missions, smuggling routes, and stealth heists. They can seal exits, raise magical alarms, and drag out combat by calling in reinforcements.

What’s a good guard encounter for level 3 PCs?
A squad of 4 Guards led by a Sergeant of the Watch is a solid CR 3 encounter. Add locked doors, alarm glyphs, or a time-sensitive objective for extra pressure.

What powers make Guards interesting in combat?
Foe Foundry guards use flavorful powers like Sound the Alarm, Defensive Formation, and Protect the Target to control space and stall for backup. Leaders add tactical options like Command the Troops.

How should I roleplay Guards?
Play up their procedure, paperwork, and world-weariness. Most are underpaid professionals just trying to keep order—or keep their job. A tired glare and a short temper go a long way.

Can Guards be morally ambiguous?
Absolutely. Some are honest protectors, others are hired thugs in uniform. Many fall somewhere in between—reluctant, pragmatic, or compromised by a broken system.

Can Guards be used as allies or quest-givers?
Definitely. Guards make great minor contacts: skeptical allies, local informants, or the source of red-tape side quests. A gruff sergeant with a conscience can anchor an entire city arc.

What’s the best setting for using Guards?
Anywhere power needs enforcing: city gates, noble estates, temples, markets, or caravan roads. Guards instantly signal law, boundaries, and consequences and are especially useful when players push the envelope.

Do Guards always fight to the death?
No. Guards will often flee, surrender, or accept bribes depending on orders, morale, or personal ethics. Use morale rules and social options—they're not mindless mooks.

When should I use Guard Captains or Lords of the Watch?
Use Guard Captains for mini-bosses or tactical squad leaders in CR 3–6 encounters. A Lord of the Watch is perfect for political arcs, climactic city battles, or as symbols of the city’s justice system.